Marbling Eggs

I love making Easter eggs. I also like trying out new techniques.

This pin has made the Pinterest rounds, but I can't find the source:

If anyone knows where it originally came from, please share.

With no instructions, I decided to experiment to see how exactly to accomplish this wonder.

I tried paint (figuring less risk of dying my hands) and I am disappointed to say it didn't work at all.

So here's what worked: I squirted about a palmful-worth (perhaps more) of shaving cream onto a piece of aluminum foil. Then I dotted it with food coloring.

I used a toothpick to swirl the color through the shaving cream without fully mixing it.

Then, we rolled the eggs in the mixture, just once to coat all sides.

To give the color a chance to really stain the eggshell, we left them sitting for about five minutes.

Then with a paper towel, I just wiped it all off and was left with a pretty marbled Easter egg.

Given that eggs are semi-porous I wondered if the shaving cream might leech through, so I made Mateo try one. :) He said it was fine. Just tasted like a regular boiled egg.

Then, because I was just experimenting and didn't have a whole bunch of eggs ready to color, I decided I need to somehow do something with my left over shaving cream/color. Didn't want to waste it.

So, I laid a piece of white paper on the shaving cream, lifted it up, laid it down again, and so on until I had covered the whole paper.

Then I used a paper towel and just wiped the saving cream off. No fancy technique, just wiped.

I was left with a very pretty marbled paper.

This way of marble paper was so much easier than regular marbling. It's a bit messy, but so is regular marbling. I highly recommend this method for young kids.

Once the paper is dry, the possibilities are endless: make cards, use for origami, paint a picture, write a poem on it...              

Art Adventure: "Stained Glass" Easter Eggs

I've been so swamped with school, I literally just realized that Easter is only two weeks away. How did that happen?

I thought I would squeeze in one Easter craft.

"Stained Glass" Easter Eggs
 

 

Supplies:

• wax paper (or plastic wrap)
• permanent marker
• tissue paper, cut or torn into small pieces
• school glue
• brush

 

Mix glue (eyeball it, a couple tablespoons if it's just one or two, more if you have the whole Brady Bunch) and water. I just add some and stir until I have a runny consistency. You can go half and half if you want.

Use the marker to draw your shape on the wax paper. Go as big or small as you want. Ideas other than an egg shape: flowers, chicks, bunnies. Then FLIP IT OVER! You want the marker on the back, if it is painted with the glue/water it will run.

Use the brush to paint the glue/water inside your shape and start putting on the tissue paper. You can be meticulous, or random. I was working with a three year old, so we went random.

  

Let your pieces overlap the edge of your shape. 

When it's all filled in, dab over the whole thing with the glue mix. This will make sure all is glued down and sealed in. 

Now, there's nothing left to do but wait, wait, wait.

Once it's dry, grab a pair of scissors and trim out your shape.

Supposedly, you can now peel off the wax paper. Your tissue paper would totally stick together, but I found that my tissue paper was firmly glued to the wax paper. It really doesn't matter much. When you put it in the window, the light still shines through.

Eh, dreary day, but still nice and colorful!

It would peel off plastic wrap, but I just find plastic wrap to be a pain to deal with. Wax paper works even if it doesn't peel off. 

Can't forget the Eggs.

All right. I never really expected to post this many things related to Easter crafts like this or this, but it's been fun. I have wanted to try Onion Skin dyed eggs for a long time. It's been in my book for years. Pretty sure it was originally from Martha.

You will need old fabric or nylons cut into squares bigger than your egg. I used nylons. Lots of onion skins. I use onion in a lot of my cooking, so it didn't really take long to save some, I just stuck them in a paper bag. Rice and rubber bands. Oh, and eggs. Don't forget the eggs!

Lay the nylon or fabric on your counter.

place about 6 layers of onion skins on that.

Sprinkle with a bit of rice (you could use small leaves instead) 

and top rice with a few more onion skins.

Place egg on top of that.

Doesn't that nestled egg look precious?

Place more onion skins on top of the egg, then carefully wrap the nylon or fabric around your egg 

and secure with rubber bands. You want the onion skins tight against the egg, but, you know, don't smash your egg. :)

Get some water boiling. Gratuitous boiling water photo. :)

Carefully lower the eggs into the water and boil for 20 minutes. Yeah, those are the instructions.

Take them out and let them cool a bit. Unwrap. And to shine them up, you can rub them with a little vegetable oil.

So pretty!

Gabe thinks they look like wood.

The affect from the natural ingredients is amazing.

So, we tasted them because 20 minutes cook time on an egg is a lot. They reminded Matt of "cafeteria" eggs. They were edible, but a definite gray ring around the yolk. I'd recommend using them IN something like egg salad if you are into that sort of thing. I'm not. I'll just make some more to be pretty for Easter and then pawn them off on people. It's how I roll. :)

Linking to:
Somewhat Simple 
Centsational Girl

Kid's craft: Tissue paper "stained glass" eggs

So, here's a kid's craft idea that they can really do, unlike the egg bunnies. :) 

So, you need wax paper, a permanent marker, tissue paper cut or torn into small pieces, school glue and a paint brush.

Mix glue (eyeball it, a couple tablespoons if it's just one or two, more if you have the whole Brady Bunch) and water. I just add some and stir until I have a runny consistency. You can go half and half if you want.

Use the marker to draw your shape on the wax paper. Go as big or small as you want. Ideas other than an egg shape: flowers, chicks, bunnies. Then FLIP IT OVER! You want the marker on the back, if it is painted with the glue/water it will run.

Use the brush to paint the glue/water inside your shape and start putting on the tissue paper. You can be meticulous, or random. I was working with a three year old, so we went random.

  

Let your pieces overlap the edge of your shape. 

When it's all filled in, dab over the whole thing with the glue mix. This will make sure all is glued down and sealed in. 

Now, there's nothing left to do but wait, wait, wait.

Once it's dry, grab a pair of scissors and trim out your shape.

Supposedly, you can now peel off the wax paper. Your tissue paper would totally stick together, but I found that my tissue paper was firmly glued to the wax paper. It really doesn't matter much. When you put it in the window, the light still shines through.

Even on a dreary day. (But, hey, no snow so I'll take it!) 

Linking to these great parties:
Blue Cricket Design

 

Spring has (almost) sprung

I promised myself I'd do some Spring and Easter crafty things with the kids this year. So, project number one turned out to be not so kid friendly because it worked best with hot glue. The best laid plans...

 

Have you ever used hot glue and not burned yourself? I haven't. It seems to be more successful if you sacrifice a little flesh.

So, bunnies and chicks. You need plastic eggs, felt, googly eyes, and a cotton ball, optional - wire and beans.

 

I matched my egg and felt colors. I drew out the ears and feet for the bunnies and let Pumpkin Noodle cut them out. 

 

I drew a little fringe and wings for him to cut out for the chick. He also colored some card stock orange for the beak and feet because I didn't have orange felt. But actually the card stock worked great. 

That's about all the help the kiddo could provide because then I hot glued the pieces in place. For the bunnies, I drew the rest of their faces on with permanent marker and I also glued a bit of cotton ball on the back for the tail.

 

 Now, you may have noticed that eggs don't stand on end by themselves. I solved it by bending a piece of wire and hot gluing it under the feet.

 

It does show from the back a bit, but the wire bends and holds it up. Also, I found filling the eggs with some dried pinto beans gave them a little weight that helped them stand on the wire.

And here's a shot of Monkey Bean playing with a bunny - which was about all the help he could actually provide. And, yes, he's wearing a pajama shirt all day long. Why do you ask? :)

 They are pretty sweet even if the kids couldn't actually help much.